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VAIL, Colorado - As an early gift for the 50th anniversary this Saturday, Mother Nature provided Vail Mountain with 20 inches of new snow in the past seven days allowing for the addition of the Mountaintop Express Lift (No. 4), and starting today the Game Creek Express Lift (No. 7), Northwoods Express Lift (No. 11), Sourdough Express Lift (No. 14) and Cascade Lift (No. 20). More snow is in the forecast over the next seven days; stay tuned for more news as additional terrain becomes available based on conditions.

Today, skiers and snowboarders will have access to 950 acres of terrain and the following lifts:

• Gondola One

• Avanti Express Lift (No. 2).

• Mountaintop Express Lift (No. 4).

• Game Creek Express Lift (No. 7).

• Born Free Express Lift (No. 8).

• Northwoods Express Lift (No. 11).

• Gopher Hill Lift (No. 12).

• Sourdough Express Lift (No. 14).

• Little Eagle Lift (No. 15).

• Eagle Bahn Gondola.

• Cascade Lift (No. 20).

Beginning this morning, Vail Mountain lifts will open at 8:30 a.m.

After celebrating Vail's 50th anniversary on the snow during the day Saturday, skiers, snowboarders, guests and locals alike are all invited to help commemorate the occasion during a free, public celebration on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Mountain Plaza in Vail Village at the base of the resort's new state-of-the-art gondola, One. In addition to remarks from special guests, a limited quantity of numbered, commemorative Vail ski boot mugs will be given out along with birthday cupcakes. The celebration will culminate with a fireworks display over Vail Mountain.

Afterwards the party continues as Wilco takes the stage for the final concert of Vail's Snow Daze. Tickets are still available for purchase by visiting www.vail.com.

Rose Bowl opens Saturday

Rose Bowl at Beaver Creek will open for the season on natural snow Saturday along with a variety of other trails on the main mountain and in Bachelor Gulch, increasing the resort's open terrain to 727 acres or 40 percent and 54 trails accessed by 20 lifts. Skiers will also gain 30 more minutes on the slopes as lifts will open at 8:30 a.m.

"Our mountain operations crews have been working around the clock and with nearly 2 feet of snow this past week and consistently cold temperatures, conditions changed overnight and we have been able to open a lot of terrain both on natural and manmade snow and we've added more lifts," said Greg Johnson, director of mountain operations for Beaver Creek Resort.-

The following lifts will be operating on Saturday, providing access to more than 727 acres of terrain on the main mountain and in Bachelor Gulch:

• Buckaroo Gondola (No. 1);

• Rose Bowl Express Lift (No. 4);

• Drink of Water Lift (No. 5);

• Centennial Express Lift (No. 6);

• Riverfront Gondola (No. 7);

• Cinch Express Lift (No. 8);

• Birds of Prey Express Lift (No. 9);

• Strawberry Park Express Lift (No. 12);

• Lower Beaver Creek Mountain Express Lift (No. 15);

• Bachelor Gulch Express Lift (No. 16);

• Arrowhead Express Lift (No. 17);

•Upper Beaver Creek Mountain Express Lift (No. 18); and,

• Eight conveyor and surface lifts.

-The Arrowhead Express Lift will open for the season on Saturday providing homeowner access to skiing in Bachelor Gulch. Lift riders will be able to ski to Bachelor Gulch via Stirrup tail and return to the top of the lift for downloading. Currently there is no open terrain in Arrowhead as snowmaking operations continue.

Additional trail openings on Saturday include Red Tail and lower Golden Eagle, which will ski as a bowl via Birds of Prey Express Lift. Ripsaw, Stone Creek Meadows and C Prime in Rose Bowl and 1876 and lower Centennial on the main mountain will also open. In Bachelor Gulch, Cabin Fever, lower Gunder's and Leav the Beav will open for the season. For a complete list of trail openings, visit www.beavercreek.com.

Red Tail Camp, Mamie's Mountain Grill and Broken Arrow Restaurant will open for the season on Saturday and Zach's Cabin will begin its first sleigh dinner service today.

The Beaver Creek Nordic Center begins its winter operations today including 15 kilometers of track at McCoy Park for Nordic and snowshoe enthusiasts. Nordic and snowshoe lesson will be available. Call 970-754-5313 for more information.